1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure is related to the field of safety devices for mass transit and roadway maintenance workers and mass transit vehicles. Specifically, this disclosure is related to systems and devices that will notify roadway maintenance workers of an approaching mass transit vehicle and, conversely, will notify the operators and administrators of mass transit vehicles of roadway maintenance workers within the vicinity of an approaching section of track.
2. Description of Related Art
As the number of mass transit routes and light rail lines throughout metropolitan areas increases, so does the potential for transit, worker, and pedestrian accidents. Despite improvements in track signals, train controls, and railroad communication technology, the incidence of fatal train collisions has dramatically increased in recent years. In fact, train injuries and fatalities in the United States have increased about 15% since 1998, a period in which commuter and mass transit lines and number of runs per line has increased dramatically in many major metropolitan areas.
Generally, rail, road, and mass transit maintenance workers are often the most vulnerable for pedestrian accidents on rail lines. These individuals are often working on or in close proximity to rail lines and roads. Thus, their location alone puts them at a higher risk margin for mass transit and vehicular accidents. In addition, much of the work that rail, mass transit, and road maintenance workers are engaged in is noisy, high decibel work involving heavy machinery; e.g., jack hammers, sledge hammers, nail guns, blow torches, etc. The noise associated with this work can make it difficult if not impossible for individuals working on a track, route or road to hear a train, light rail or other vehicle coming their way before it is too late. Further, many modern trains and mass transit vehicles, such as electric trains, are designed to run quietly. While the operators of the trains, rails, vehicles, and mass transit routes are often aware of construction zones on the tracks, routes, and roads, workers, in the normal course of their work, can often stray from these zones to other areas—areas where operators are not prepared to encounter workers. Further, while workers are often made aware of the train and mass transit schedule and, by extension, when to expect mass transit vehicles in areas of construction, mass transit vehicles can often be ahead or behind schedule, thus confounding this safety variable. In addition, many workers just simply lose track of time while they are on the job.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a safety system and device that can be utilized by mass transit, train, and road maintenance workers and other individuals working in close proximity to mass transit routes, rails, and roads which has the ability to alert them to the presence of oncoming vehicles (specifically equipped vehicles) and also has the ability to alert mass transit operators to the presence of individuals on the mass transit routes, trains, or roads prior to the time period in which they enter the operator's line of sight.